Special Flight is a dramatic account of the plight of undocumented foreigners at the Frambois detention center in Geneva, Switzerland, and of the wardens who struggle to reconcile humane values with the harsh realities of a strict deportation system. The 25 Frambois inmates featured are among the thousands of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants imprisoned without charge or trial and facing deportation to their native countries, where they fear repression or even death. The film, made in Switzerland, is a heart-wrenching exposé of the contradictions between the country’s compassionate social policies and the intractability of its immigration laws.

Get Involved

Check out the Special Flight Partner Toolkit for everything you need to get involved with the film, from spreading the word to hosting a free screening. Access the film's discussion guide, reading list, and other online resources.

Borrow the Film (FREE)

Join POV's Community Network to borrow Special Flight for free screenings in your classroom, community, staff trainings, or workshops.

Enter for a Chance to Win a Signed DVD, Popcorn, Chocolate and Coffee!

Watch the Special Flight PBS broadcast premiere with your friends and/or family and enter for a chance to win a Premiere Party Pack, including a signed DVD and film poster, plus Fair Trade and organic popcorn, chocolate, and coffee from Quinn Popcorn, Divine Chocolate, and Grounds for Change! All entries are also eligible for the Grand Prize (to be announced soon). Enter at www.pov.org/premiereparty.

POV has the honor of receiving a 2013 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the desJardins/Blachman Fund and public television viewers. Funding for POV's Diverse Voices Project is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Special support provided by The Fledgling Fund and the Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.